Rotorua by bike

The port city of Tauranga is the jumping off point for our trip Rotorua, about an hour away.  We drive past trucks loaded with logs bound for the port and then for China.  Later we drive through pine forests, past paddocks of grazing dairy cows, and past acres and acres of kiwi orchards bounded on all sides by 30 foot cedar hedges.  Sights like these are the plus side of busing to and from excursions.

The excursion was billed as a bike ride about 7 miles (mainly off road) through the Maori cultural heartland of Rotorua, past geothermal pools, geysers and baths.   

We met up with our guides from “Happy Ewe Cycle Tours and Repairs.”  “Repairs” doesn’t seem to be their strong suit.  Bob started out by cutting his finger when adjusting the seat (good thing we signed a waiver) and my bike wanted to go in the opposite direction from what I pointed it. 

Okay, let’s go, 25 seniors on wobbly bikes.  We’re off. 

 I guess by “off road” they meant on sidewalks!  First stop was a two minute ride into a courtyard that was a Maori family enclave.   

We were lucky to have with us Shiloh who was helping out his friend, the happy ewe.  Shiloh’s family has been on this plot of land for 23 generations, according to the family oral history.  Under this courtyard are thermal springs. The pavement is hot to the touch with vents emitting steam on the edges.   Surrounding the courtyard are Shiloh’s family’s homes.   He told us that every home has its own communal bath and the whole family bathes together in the heated sulphur water.  He took us into his backyard to show us the family bath.  You can’t see it, but bottles of Pantene shampoo and conditioner are lined up on the edge of the pool

Back on the bikes, we follow the sidewalks to boiling Lake Kuirau, right in the middle of town.

A few more miles and back the way we came, continuing on to more points of interest, back to the start point for lunch and we’re on our way back to the ship. 

Not the bike ride I was hoping for, but a nice ride in the country.  Our guide drove us back a different way, up hills and through gorges, past river rafting and hiking trail heads.  Lovely scenery.